Meg in the News!

Birth specialist finds calling as a doula

For Meg Smith -- owner of the Naperville-based business Inner Strength Doula Services -- a spark was ignited when she witnessed the birth of her nephew Matthew.

"Watching was miraculous," she said. "I knew I wanted to do that every day. I loved seeing how strong a woman's body can be."

Smith began researching different ways she could get involved with birthing. She already had a background in social work and a love for working with people. She knew she didn't want to do anything medical or technical such as midwifery or nursing. Her focus was on being able to provide emotional support and care for the mother. Becoming a doula was the answer.

Smith began a rigorous training with DONA International, the governing body that establishes a standards of practice, a code of ethics and position papers. A doula -- originally a Greek word meaning "a woman who serves" -- is, in labor-support terminology, "a specially trained birth companion (not a friend or loved one) who provides labor support," according to the DONA International Web site (www.dona.org).

"There is a whole process I go through with clients," Smith Said. "We meet two to three times just to know we have a good fit, there is an initial 'getting to know you' period and then we create what is called a 'birth plan' which we bring to the OB or midwife at 36 weeks. My role is purely supportive. Clients can call with questions they might not ask if they didn't have a doula. I provide continuous physical, emotional and informational support during labor and just after the birth of the baby."

According to DONA International, there is evidence that suggests that when a doula is present there are shorter labors and fewer complications, while babies and moms breast feed better -- if they choose to breast feed.

DONA also reports that there are fewer requests for pain medication and labor-inducing drugs and a higher rate of adapting to new family dynamics, which means fewer incidences of postpartum depression.

Debbie and Ryan Briggs of Glen Ellyn are on child number three. All three were natural childbirth experiences. Debbie had a little girl, Waverly, on Sept. 24 at 8:59 a.m. Waverly was 8 pounds, 7 ounces.

"It is important to have the additional support," Debbie said of working with Smith. "Husbands offer one kind of support -- it's a different kind of support -- and I think it's hard for someone who loves you to see you in so much pain sometimes. Meg brings a calm but consistent energy -- she's gone out of her way to help us. She supports us in so many ways. She is a wonderful and amazing person."

"It was a three-hour labor," said Smith. "Debbie did beautifully -- all natural and in a labor tub. There were no machines. She was so incredibly calm and in tune with her own body. It was so inspiring."

Maria Bries, another of Smith's clients, gave birth in January.

"We're almost trained in today's culture that pain is always a bad thing," said Bries. "Meg did a really good job of reminding me that this is what my body was supposed to do."

More information on Smith and doula services is at www.innerstrengthdoula.org.